In the beginning and in the end,

it’s all in the family.

The existence of crime is constantly presented to us on a daily basis. We see it in the media and all to often in person. But where does crime come from and why does it exist? Is it caused by unemployment? When we examine the issue of crime we look at several different factors such as: what is the underlying cause, why do some people commit crime and others do not, do people stop breaking the law as they get older, is it necessary to examine a person’s entire life or just the beginning? Equally important is the relationship between crime and unemployment. In order to see the many facets of crime we must examine it from different angles. The perspectives used to analyze the issue in this paper are based in Social Control theory and Self-Control theory, two micro-level theories of crime.

In 1969, Travis Hirschi published a book called Causes of Delinquency. In this book Hirschi outlined a new theory of crime called Social Control theory. In Social Control theory the assertion is made that the underlying cause of crime is directly related to the social bonds of the individual with society. According to Social Control theory the stronger and deeper the person’s ties to society the less likely the individual is to commit crime. The weaker and less resilient the ties the more likely the individual is to commit crime. Travis Hirschi also helped develop another prominent criminological theory called the General Theory of Crime.

To create this new theory Hirschi collaborated with Michael Gottfredson. The product of this theoretical union was the general theory of crime (GTC). This renovated version of Social-Control theory presents the underlying cause of crime as being a result of poor self-control in the individual. GTC asserts the fate of the child is determined by age eight. According to GTC the lack of self-control found in criminals is traceable to certain personality traits and poor parenting. According to Gottfredson and Hirschi, as quoted in Criminology by Siegel, “People with limited self control tend to be impulsive, insensitive, physical (rather than mental), risk taking, short-sighted and non-verbal.”(Criminology, pg. 261) Accompanied by this impulsive personality they are further disadvantaged by poor parenting. Children that are poorly supervised, lack attachments to their parents and possibly witness acts of deviance by their elders are the least likely to develop self-control. Now that the root causes of crime have been explored from the positions of Social-Control theory and GTC/Self-Control theory let us elaborate on why some people commit crime and others do not.

According to Social Control (SC) theory people develop a certain level of attachment, commitment, involvement and belief in their society. Corresponding with the individual’s investment in society is their likelihood of committing crime. The more a person has to loose the less likely they are to commit crime. At the same time people who have weak ties to society have less social capital to loose if they are caught committing crime. The GTC would have us believe that given the same circumstances some people are more likely to commit crime than others. As discussed earlier GTC proposes that people with low self-control are the ones that become criminals. Since GTC relates criminality back to the personality and upbringing of the individual this is where the differing rates of crime between people would come from. Based on the GTC theory of crime one could hypothesize that the higher rates of crime among males compared to females means that males have less self-control than women. So what then would these theories have us believe is the cause of the rise and fall of crime rates along the individual lifespan?

It is commonly known among criminologists that males aged 18-25 are most likely to be involved in crime, but why? Social Control theory points to the strengthening and weakening of social bonds through time. Children are more likely to be effected by the positive influences of their parents and teachers. As these same youths become teenagers the opinions of their peers matter more. The behaviors that many people exhibit during their adolescence reflect the immaturity of their cohort. As these delinquents become older they develop ties to society via good jobs, family life, and community involvement. By developing these ties with society the costs of participating in criminal activities begin to outweigh the benefits. According to GTC as the individuals with poor self control and impulsive personalities get older they have fewer opportunities to get involved in street crime. Since the freedoms associated with youth allowed for more discretionary time the opportunity for involvement in crime is likewise more frequent. Another factor that may contribute to a decline in crime accompanying the incline in age is that perhaps the more risk taking compulsive type die off due to their life style or learn better methods of committing crime without getting caught. As we can see both of these theories rely heavily on the variable of time in the equation.

Time is important to Social Control theory in that as people grow older the ties that bind them to society also grow stronger. Since this theory bases causes of crime in the strength and quality of social bonds between the individual and society age plays an important role in determining the propensity for further involvement in crime. In some respects the reverse is true for GTC. According to GTC a criminal is born with a certain genetic disposition towards crime that can be exacerbated by poor parenting and higher exposure to criminal opportunity. The type of parenting the child receives prior to the age of eight combined with the environment they are raised in is the major influence on whether or not the individual will be involved in crime through the remainder of the life course. The Self Control/GTC theory of crime holds that by the age of eight a child’s likelihood of becoming involved in crime is pretty much determined. Another thing that needs to be examined is the relationship between crime and unemployment.

It is commonly supposed that crime and unemployment are correlates, why is this so and what theory best presents evidence for it? SC theory would purport that as people have a stronger connection to society via better jobs, either monetarily or for personal fulfillment, they are less likely to jeopardize their position by getting involved in crime. At the same time the person that is unemployed or in an occupation they despise is more likely to lack the attachment, commitment, involvement or belief in the larger society and as such are less likely to live according to its norms. But what caused these people to be unemployed or working in a “dead-end” job? GTC would claim the biggest problem for the criminal in maintaining a job is their lack of self-control. It takes perseverance and determination to get a good job. Most good jobs require either some schooling or past experience in the position. An individual lacking self-control would have a hard time staying in school or keeping a job for very long. In order to keep a job for a while a person must do things that are difficult and requires self control i.e. dealing with a difficult boss, getting to bed on time to get up in the morning and not stealing from your employer. In the end what is the best way to explain crime and its many intricacies?

While no one theory totally explains every type of crime Social Control theory and the General Theory/Self Control theory of crime do a good job of providing valuable insight into the complexities associated with crime. Perhaps a combination of theories would assert that individuals with low self-control are less involved with and lack the bonds to society necessary to deter them from committing crime. By providing parents with better parenting skills we can produce stable adults. Accompanied by a concerted effort, as a community, to get involved with the young people of our society we can provide them with a vested interest in the success of society. In the end crime will be lower and the people of society will be happier.

Works Consulted/Cited

Cullen, Francis T., Agnew, Robert. Criminological Theory: Past to Present. Los Angeles: Roxbury, 1999.

Drowns, Robert W., Hess, Karen M., Juvenile Justice 2^nd ed. Minneapolis, MN: West, 1995.

Siegel, Larry J., Criminology, 6^th ed. New York: Wadsworth, 1997.